wouldn't be the first in that region/time to die via wine-related mishap. One thing on Caligula I was watching a while back hypothesized that he went all nutters thanks to the lead from their jars leaching into the wine.

Um.. this is not new news. It was long believed he contracted a bacterial infection that he got from drinking from a contaminated cup. Also, he may have drank it knowing it would get him sick because he was still not over the lost of his lover.

IIRC, he died at the best time to allow the formation of the Roman Republic/Empire to occur - too short of a life and he wouldn't have had subjugated enough nations but too long and everything would've followed the political structure he tried to establish.

Active introvert:Um.. this is not new news. It was long believed he contracted a bacterial infection that he got from drinking from a contaminated cup. Also, he may have drank it knowing it would get him sick because he was still not over the lost of his lover.

Active introvert:Um.. this is not new news. It was long believed he contracted a bacterial infection that he got from drinking from a contaminated cup. Also, he may have drank it knowing it would get him sick because he was still not over the lost of his lover.

Gunny Highway:Active introvert: Um.. this is not new news. It was long believed he contracted a bacterial infection that he got from drinking from a contaminated cup. Also, he may have drank it knowing it would get him sick because he was still not over the lost of his lover.

I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

JasonOfOrillia:I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

Solon Isonomia:IIRC, he died at the best time to allow the formation of the Roman Republic/Empire to occur - too short of a life and he wouldn't have had subjugated enough nations but too long and everything would've followed the political structure he tried to establish.

StoPPeRmobile:JasonOfOrillia: I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

Anyways, don't judge me too harshly, I'm three pints in.

Oh look, this again.

You sound like you are from a broke country.

My country is flush. But maybe that's because our pension obligations are covered.

JasonOfOrillia:I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

talkertopc:The first biography I read when I was a kid was of him. It probably was the first non-kid book I read too as I was around 10 or 11.

Anyone can recommend a recent biography of him?

For short & simple go for Paul Cartledge's (the same as in the article) book. Hits all the main points and is readable without being boring. If you dig it and want more I'd suggest Steven Pressfields "Virtues of War" and, if you really want more, the "Alexander" trilogy by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Both are historical fiction but are very well rooted in research.

JasonOfOrillia:I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

See, the Romans didn't have that problem. Whoever they stomped, they naturally came to the conclusion that they were the superior culture, otherwise they wouldn't have stomped them.

/Except when it came to Greece//come to think of it, there seems to be some sort of historical trend, one might say an aura of respect and honor, whenever an Empire stomps on a formerly superior Empire, to respect the former Empire's traditions and culture. So the Greeks respected the Persians and the Romans respected the Greeks and the Goths respected the Romans (sort of) and the Arabs respected the Byzantines and everybody respected Egypt and the Mongols didn't respect anybody because they were the exception.

Gunny Highway:Active introvert: Um.. this is not new news. It was long believed he contracted a bacterial infection that he got from drinking from a contaminated cup. Also, he may have drank it knowing it would get him sick because he was still not over the lost of his lover.

Read the article.

Er, well, 2500 years later, based on 3d hand reports, no body and Reliable Sources, it's still nothing more than speculation.

It MIGHT have been poisoned wine; it might have been ordinary wine; it might have been West Nile virus; it might have been 7 bad wounds and years of hard living; hell, it could have been AIDS.

Ishkur:JasonOfOrillia: I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.

See, the Romans didn't have that problem. Whoever they stomped, they naturally came to the conclusion that they were the superior culture, otherwise they wouldn't have stomped them.

/Except when it came to Greece//come to think of it, there seems to be some sort of historical trend, one might say an aura of respect and honor, whenever an Empire stomps on a formerly superior Empire, to respect the former Empire's traditions and culture. So the Greeks respected the Persians and the Romans respected the Greeks and the Goths respected the Romans (sort of) and the Arabs respected the Byzantines and everybody respected Egypt and the Mongols didn't respect anybody because they were the exception.

So Alexander the great became Persianized but the Romans in the East really became Hellenized. Kind of telling in some ways.

Coach McGirk:JasonOfOrillia: I have this idea that the Macedonians were rubes at best, barbarians at worst, for all their Hellenistic pretensions. I heard one definition of 'Barbarian' as someone whose culture doesn't survive contact with civilization and when Alexander the Great conquered Persia he, apparently, began assuming the trappings of the Persians. The implication is that the Hellenistic culture to which he and his Macedonians pretended was weaker than Persian culture that they rolled over.